A London Affair

Ray Milland directed and stars in this wonderful little drama, the kind that grabs you in unsuspected ways.

It's a two-hander, with Gia Scala more than holding her own as a mysterious lady whose path crosses Milland's by chance. With contrasting backstories, we're gradually introduced to two lonely souls, who ordinarily would never meet, but become involved in each other's problems. He catches her stealing his wallet with lots of money in it, and intent on having her punished is soon won over by her passionate personality and distress. The script keeps one guessing moment to moment, and both actors underplay, adding to the suspense.

Is she a lady or putting on an act? Is he a rogue, whose cold exterior defines his personality, or is there a romantic hiding behind his facade? I was completely fooled (led astray near the end by carefully planted details in the script and acting), not ready for a startling climax. This type of short story is the sort of fiction I love, almost worthy of an H. E. Bates classic in comparison.

"A London Affair" is an interesting installment of "Goodyear Theatre" because in addition to starring in the show, Ray Milland also directs it.

Milland plays an upper class Londoner who has his wallet stolen by a woman (Gia Scala). But instead of calling the police, he's intrigued as she appears to be a woman of quality and so he follows her and eventually confronts her. Why she stole it is something you discover at the very end...and it makes you feel a bit bad for this woman.

This is an interesting episode mostly because of the twist at the end. Up until then, it was okay...meaning you should stick with this one for the payoff.

By the way, you might wonder why you didn't see Ms. Scala in more productions. Sadly, it is because she suffered from psychiatric problems and died from an overdose. She was only 38.

May Edginton goes there. The references in the script to Wolfe's 'You can't go home again' are a red herring, a diversion from the cruelty of much more Dickensian bent. The ending is surprising and disturbing. Not all stories have happy conclusions. Good acting on both leads' parts.

Ray Milland, here actor and director, plays a British gentleman victim of a female pickpocket in a London street. He follows her, picks her up and then, you may guess the following. it's not difficult to anticipate what will happen between an aristocrat and a beautiful delinquent woman. Routine, but fairly done. Milland tries not to steal the show.